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Student Loan Rate Agreement a Win for Many Students, Less So for Others

Press Release

Student Loan Rate Agreement a Win for Many Students, Less So for Others

For Release:

Friday, June 29, 2012

Contact:

Carolyn Fiddler

202/393-6355

cfiddler@aft.org

WASHINGTON—Today American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten released the following statement on the congressional agreement that will prevent a dramatic increase in student loan interest rates.

"Congress took an important step today in heeding President Obama's call to action and coming to an agreement that keeps student loan interest rates manageable for many college students. However, it is unfortunate that the Republicans' partisan games allowed student loan rates to come perilously close to doubling—an unconscionable increase when today's graduates already are being crushed under record debt—and that some students will incur even more debt as a result of this eleventh hour agreement. We should be expanding opportunities for all students to afford college, not saddling them with even more debt as they begin their careers and their adult lives. Higher education cannot become a luxury for a few—it must be affordable and accessible to all.

"This agreement is a step forward, but it is not a clear victory for all students seeking to avoid massive post-graduation debt. By limiting the amount of time that students can receive subsidized federal loans to six years for a bachelor's degree and three years for an associate degree, Congress is assigning a greater debt burden to students with families, jobs or other special circumstances that may prevent them from graduating as quickly as their peers. Penalizing one group of students to help another is wrong, and AFT members do not want nontraditional students to be shut out of education because of the ballooning price tag.

"I thank President Obama for his leadership and Congress for taking a positive step toward preventing higher education costs from skyrocketing, but our elected leaders have much work yet to do to make higher education truly affordable and accessible for all students."

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The AFT represents 1.6 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.

Our Mission

The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.